Pastor Podcast - Acts 5:12-7 - Stephen's Example

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A fast-growing church can feel like a miracle right up until someone gets overlooked. That’s where Acts 6 starts and it’s where our Monday Reflections conversation gets painfully practical. With Nate away, Jarvis Brennan joins Pastor Mark to unpack the real complaint that Hellenistic widows are being neglected and why the apostles treat it as a serious, solvable problem instead of a distraction.

We dig into what the early church does next: clarifying priorities, protecting prayer and the ministry of the Word, and commissioning seven trusted men to carry essential ministry. The result is more than better organization. Scripture says the Word of God keeps increasing, disciples multiply greatly, and even priests become obedient to the faith, a reminder that healthy church leadership and faithful service can open doors you thought were shut.

From there, we focus on Stephen, an “ordinary” servant who becomes a towering example of Christian character. We talk about what it means to be full of the Holy Spirit, not as a one-time label but as an ongoing life of surrender, and how availability often matters more than ability. Stephen’s calm “face of an angel,” his bold sermon, and his faithfulness unto death challenge how we measure success, especially in trials and suffering.

If you’ve ever wondered how to serve faithfully without a platform, how to endure criticism with peace, or how to keep saying yes to God when it’s costly, this conversation will steady you. Subscribe for more Monday Reflections, share this with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review telling us what “faithfulness” looks like in your life right now.

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Intro music by Joey Blair

Transcript

Welcome And Why We’re Here

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Good morning everyone. Welcome. I'm so glad you're tuning in to the Monday Reflections. As you can see, I am not Nate, but I've been tasked with the blessing to be able to be a part of this Monday Reflection. So I'm Jarvis Brennan, Services Connection Young Adult Director here, and it's a blessing to be with Pastor Mark. Yeah, we miss Nate, but I'm glad you're here. Yeah, of course. He's on vacation, you know, living it up. So a little jealous of him. No, but today we're gonna walk through and just reflect on the sermon that was preached yesterday. I'm going through Acts 6 and 7. And I will before we start, I'm just gonna read verses 1 through 15, which is what we read during the service yesterday. So let's start there. It says, In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. The twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole gathering. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Proc how chorus, yeah. I don't even know. Uh Necanor and Timon and Permeus and Nicholas, and a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them, and the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the freedmen, as it was called, and the Cyrenians and the Alexandrians, and of those in Sicilia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God, and they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set

Reading Acts 6:1-15

SPEAKER_02 2:20

up false witnesses who said, This man never ceases to speak words against the this holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us. And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw his face, was like the face of an angel. Yeah. So a lot there, and then we walk through just a little bit of seven, right, as you kind of talk through the what Spe Stephen kind of spoke as he was being martyred, really, in the in this moment. So why don't you just give a brief summary, brief recap of last week?

SPEAKER_01 2:53

So the first thing the four points really, the outline were the commission, the character, the countenance, and the courage of this man. Really, what these two chapters do is kind of hold before us this faithful servant of the Lord, Stephen. Right. But but before we really kind of look at Stephen, let's talk about the context and the complaint, right? So two more, there's actually six points, but so the context was just that the third the church was literally exploding, right? So we see the Spirit of God poured out in the beginning of Acts. The church was born, Jesus said, I will build my church. He starts building his church, the church was born, the church is thriving. Day by day, the Lord is adding to the church, those who are being saved. Key words there being added, you know, there's added in in chapter six, we see that word changed to multiplied. But the church is growing and thriving. At this time, it's it's at least over 5,000 people. Peter had preached the gospel and men believed the gospel, repented, and were baptized, and there was added 5,000. The church came to 5,000. So in the midst of this, as I always say, right, there's a lot of people, a lot of personalities, and therefore a lot of problems, right? Because when you put people in the mix, you put problems in the mix. So the context is that the church is literally exploding, you know, and they're just it's exciting clearly. Uh the apostles are doing signs and wonders. Like it's just an incredible time. But the complaint was that in the daily distribution or the day-to-day ministry of the church, the Hellenistic widows, and really the church was kind of divided into two groups. There were the Hebrews and the Hellenists, right? The Hebrews were the Jewish Christians that were cultural. And at this time, the church is not dispersed. So, like, you know, the church in Ephesus and Corinth and all those, those aren't even like on the radar yet. Right now, it's still the Jews are kind of thinking that God loves them and this is the fulfillment of his prophecies. For them, it really blew their minds that God's love would extend beyond them. But clearly it did because many who were not Jewish and who were Hellenistic instead of Hebrew came to saving faith too. So a part of this large church body, there were the Hebrews, the Jewish Jews who had become Christians, but then also the Hellenists, those who, for whatever reason, and it could have been that Jews had been slow sold into slavery and were, you know, lived in Rome and Corinth and all these different places, and then got set free and then came back and they brought with them their culture that they had been immersed in, the Hellenistic culture, the Greek lifestyle. And so they probably even spoke Greek. And so the church is made up of these two groups. The Greeks were kind of a minority, and they were like, hey, this isn't okay. Our widows are being overlooked, they're slipping through the cracks. Now, widows, this is important to understand to know, were of any demographic in that context, the ones that were the most in need, right? Because women in particular could not work or live earn a living like they can in our context. And so when someone's husband died, like their means of support, their their protection, like literally, it was it. And so widows just by the way they were

A Growing Church And A Real Complaint

SPEAKER_01 6:10

needed support. And so the church stepped up to the plate and would help them and come alongside them. So they're being overlooked. So it was a valid complaint. And so everyone comes, they're gr grumbling, they're murmuring. So it's it's legit in the sense where the the disciples don't or the apostles don't say, the leaders of the church at that time don't say, like, oh, tell them to suck it up or get over it. No, they say, like, we need to meet this need. And so they don't just say, hey, whoever wants to do it, go help. They say, no, look for men from among you, men full of the spirit and wisdom. So men of good repute. So men who have a good reputation, men that we can trust with this responsibility, this duty. In this passage, we see that word. Yeah. Like this is a need that a necessary ministry. This isn't something that's just like, hey, if we want to, when we can, why we can't. No, it's like we have to do this. It's not an option for these people to slip through the cracks. So they appoint these seven men to do them, one of them being a man named Stephen. Yeah. Right. So that's the context, that's the complaint. The next we see the commission. So what I find fascinating, so there definitely is within this kind of an argument, or it makes it clear that the word of uh the preaching, right? The ministry of preaching and prayer are to be prioritized, prioritized within the church because the apostles say it's not right, even though this is a legit need, it's not right for us to neglect our duty, our calling in preaching and teaching the word of God to serve in this way. So what they do is they get strategic, they get organized in uh appointing these seven men. They laid hands on them, saying, No, this is this is like we're affirming that this is what they're called to do, this is a responsibility that we're entrusting to them. Yeah. And so they laid hands. And so what I think is so fascinating with all of this, and there's so much more that can be said about widows and deacons and preaching ministry and prioritizing preaching, but the end result in verse 7 doesn't say that, and the widows were then satisfied, yeah, or and the complaint stopped. What it says is, and as a result of that activity and that commissioning and appointing, it says the word of God continued to increase and the number of the disciples multiplied. Yeah, that's a new word. Like up to this point, we saw added. Here we see multiplied, and not just multiplied, it says multiplied greatly. And if that wasn't enough, it says, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Yeah. And when I read that, so we don't necessarily contextually like how does that relate? Like what I hear that as saying is like the people that you thought would never get saved were getting saved. Yeah. Like the priests were the Pharisees, the one that Jesus confronted and said, Woe to you, woe to you, woe to you. Like, you know, there's no hope for them. They're too far gone. And yet here we see not just some of the priests or one of the priests, yeah, but a great many of the priests even became obedient to the faith, meaning they got saved. And so what I see this is is motivating, like just as a lead pastor of a church with many people, not quite 5,000, you know, at this time. But man, if we're strategic and if we're efficient, and when the body of Christ truly is the body of Christ, in the sense where the different members of the body are serving and using the gifts that God has given them in conjunction with the other members of the body, it just doesn't mean that the widows will not be overlooked. It means that the gospel, right, the great commission of Jesus Christ will go forward. Yeah. Disciples will be made, people will be baptized, and even people that seem unreachable, you're gonna be able to reach them.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Which that's profound. I mean, I think like so many of us, and you mentioned yesterday, so many of us have people in our lives who feel like that, that feel so far gone, right? As you think about it, I feel like it's so easy to just think, okay, this person, like, and you're praying for and you're pleading before the Lord for. But I think what's encouraging, like as you think about this, is like in the design, like you said, that God has kind of set up, like that's what happens. Like God is orderly and using what he has said and what he has done to then further his kingdom.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Right. And it's yeah, it's his design. And really, there's other passages of scripture that really speak to and reinforce what I'm pulling from this text, like Ephesians 4, when it says, when every member of the body of Christ is working properly, it makes the body of Christ, the church, grow so that it builds itself up in love. Yeah, that's right. And so this is what we want to see. Jesus said, I will build my church. And as his servants, as his followers, we should want what he wants, right? His his agenda is by nature, if we're his servants, our agenda. So we want the church to grow and thrive. We want people to become obedient to the faith. And so ultimately, salvation doesn't belong to us. What our responsibility is to do is to be obedient where we're supposed to be, where we're supposed to be doing what we have been equipped and called to do. And when we do that together in conjunction with our brothers and sisters, it makes the body grow.

SPEAKER_02 11:18

And I think it's interesting, right, thinking about that reality, but then also we see Stephen, right? Stephen is one of a few men who are named, yeah. Yet he gets the most kind of air time, right, in the scriptures.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

Well, it's fascinating. Yeah. So let's see the character of Stephen, like this man. So one of the things we know, so several things are said. Seven men are selected: Stephen, Philip, Nicanor, Procorus, the other guys, Parmeneus, Nicholas. Seven men are chosen. We know all seven of them are full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit. There, all seven of those men are men of good repute, including Stephen, because that was kind of the guidelines that the apostles set before the people. But but it is kind of noteworthy to think that among 5,000 plus people, like these men were the cream of the crop. These men stood out as faithful men of essentially integrity, character, humility. Like they were from among the people, known, respected, and therefore chosen and selected. And so, and the apostles affirmed that selection in laying their hands and praying. But it is interesting, and I feel like this is kind of what clues us in is that uniquely, so Stephen is listed first among the seven men, but specifically and uniquely it is said of him that he was a man who was full of where does it say full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, verse five. And then it lists the other guys. Like, what does that mean that the other guys were not full of faith in the Holy Spirit? I don't think so. Yeah. But I think that this is just, hey, notice Stephen, it's anything. Like this guy is full of faith. What's that mean? Yeah. Like this guy, in essence, I believe that what this is saying is that this man takes steps of faith. He doesn't let fear hold him back. Like he doesn't get discouraged when things don't necessarily go the way he in the flesh wants them to go. Like he's trusting the Lord, believing the Lord, living out his faith in a way that confirms instead of contradicts. He doesn't cause confusion in regards to the

Commissioning Seven Leaders For Service

SPEAKER_01 13:20

gospel, but rather in the way that he lives his life, he brings gospel clarity. He is full of faith. People can look at this guy and say, man, that guy really believes what he claims to believe. He's not just wearing the t-shirt, he's not just singing the psalms, or he's not just attending services, you know, here or there now and then on a on Christmas and Easter. No, this guy is full of faith. He really believes what he claims to believe, and his faith, I believe, is contagious. And so that just really inspires me to think about that. But but it doesn't stop there. Yeah, no. So beyond that, at the rest of chapter six, it says this guy is, in addition to being full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit, a man of good repute, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. It says in verse eight that he's full of grace and power. Like this guy was bold and even doing, as in performing, great wonders and signs among the people, like this guy, God was using this man, Stephen, in an incredible way. He was not an apostle, right? Like he was just appointed as a deacon. Like this was just an ordinary guy. It's fascinating. Like there were 12 apostles, right? Judas got kicked out. They appointed another 12 apostles who were appointed. But there's more written about Stephen than most of the appointed apostles. We know a lot about Peter and John and some about James and eventually Paul, but there's two whole chapters written. You know, one the longest sermon in the book of Acts is the one that's recorded that Stephen preached.

SPEAKER_02 14:51

I read that it was there's more about him than most of them combined. Not just like one-offs, literally combined, which is very important.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

We know very little. Now, there is things that we don't know about Stephen. We don't know if he was married, we don't know if he was a father, a husband. I imagine he was if he was a man of good repute and respected. Like I think that he had proven faithfulness, and probably part of that was the way he led his family and interacted with his children. Like, you know, the apples don't fall far from the tree. And so I'm sure that maybe Stephen's wife and his children probably validated, you know, that this guy is who he, you know, even behind closed doors, what he presents himself to be. And so I think about the Stevens in our church. I mentioned yesterday, you know, the people that are just that I can tell my children, follow them as they follow Christ. You know, and and there are, praise God, so many people that the Lord has raised up here, men and women, who aren't full of pride or ego, you know, they're not promoting themselves. But yet, you know, I think about the verse where it says, humble yourself before the Lord and he will raise you up. And I think these people have humbled themselves before the Lord, and God has raised them up from among us in such a way that I can say, Hey, look at that guy, look at that woman, yeah, you know, and consider their testimony and aspire to follow their example as they follow the example of Christ.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

That's one thing I think I want to touch on a little bit, thinking about, right, for people listening as they're reading this, we see that Stephen, in some ways, just an ordinary guy, right? You mentioned he's not an apostle, he's not someone right in that kind of status, but he's someone that was faithful, full of the spirit, right, full of faith, full of, like it says, grace and power. I guess how can that be cultivated today? Like thinking about someone watching, how do they live like Stephen? So to be full of the Holy Spirit in essence.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

So really, and that's the thing too. Like this guy is, you know, a superstar essentially in within Christianity. To be full of the Holy Spirit, we can't fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit, right? That's a passive thing. Be filled, let let yourself be filled. How do you do that? By surrendering to the Holy Spirit, by yielding to the Holy Spirit. So essentially, it could be said semantically or synonymously, is that this guy was fully yielded to the Holy Spirit, fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit. In essence, what's that means? He was obedient. Like he went where the Holy Spirit led him to go. He did not go where the Holy Spirit kept him from going. He was obedient to the word of God, surrendered and under the authority of Scripture, and you know, trusting the Lord to help and equip him to do all these things. All these things he was doing was not in his power or strength, in the same way it was not in the strength or power of the apostles to do them. He was simply obedient and therefore fully yielded to the Holy Spirit, therefore full of the Holy Spirit. He didn't grieve the Holy Spirit, he didn't quench the Holy Spirit. He said yes. His yes was always on the table in regards to the Word of God, the kingdom of God, and the Spirit of God. And really, so he was just a fully surrendered. I think about, you know, Romans 12, where the Apostle Paul charges and exhorts believers to offer their bodies of living as living sacrifices. If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, offer your body as a living sacrifice to the Lord. And it's not something that you do on one occasion, check, did it, been there. It's a constant surrendering, a constant yielding, ongoing, continuously.

SPEAKER_02 18:22

Yeah, and this I'm thinking through, right? Maybe there could be confusion, right, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We know, right, just to emphasize, like that happens at salvation. Right. So you're speaking of the continued like sanctification, continued yielding of the spirit.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

So yeah, and so and I think that really, so doctrinally, I think that there are within

Stephen’s Character And Contagious Faith

SPEAKER_01 18:40

different denominations different ideas about what it means to be filled with the spirit. But here at Lifehouse Church, you know, what we believe is that when you are saved, you were and you are in essence filled with the Holy Spirit. You're born of you don't get half the Holy Spirit when you're saved. You get the Holy Spirit. Like, you know, He He is our guarantee. Not half of Him is our guarantee. You are 10% of Him. So in essence, we're filled with the Holy Spirit in that regard. Jesus refers to that in John chapter 3, you know, when he says literally, unless some translations say, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God, John chapter 3. But that can also be translated as born from above or born of the Spirit. So the Spirit of God, and Jesus talks about being born of water and of the Spirit in regards to becoming a saved individual. So yeah, we believe that the Spirit of God is born and fills the heart of those who come to saving faith, that conversion. And then, though, we believe that there is ongoing as someone lives out their life as a believer, like you can be equipped. There's the gifts of the spirit, the fruit of the spirit. Uh, Jesus even describes, like when he's talking to the woman at the well, rivers of living water will flow from you, you know, as a believer, like we want to be overflowing and full. And to do that, we must continue to surrender and yield. Uh in Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul says, he says, don't be filled with wine, instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. In essence, what he's saying is you can fill yourself with other things, even as a believer. Yeah. Like you can consume the world, you can consume wine, the things of the world, and thereby be filled with those things at the expense of being filled with the Holy Spirit in the sense of being equipped and enabled for ministry. But instead of consuming and being filled up with the world, let's fill ourselves up with the things of the kingdom and yield ourselves to the Spirit and thereby be filled and overflowing with Him.

SPEAKER_02 20:48

That's good. Yeah, I just think it can be confusing, right? Using similar language. So that's a good breakdown for Trump. Hopefully that makes sense. Yeah, definitely. Thinking about Stephen too, I I think one thing I was encouraged by yesterday, right? Thinking about how you mentioned, right, God doesn't want your ability, he wants your availability. And I think we see in Stephen kind of that, right? His first assignment, hey, you're called, now go serve. Yeah. Right? Like and go use what God has just gifted you. Hey, just do this thing because you're willing, you're faithful, like you mentioned. And yeah, I think it's an encouragement as I think about people, right, in everyday Christian life. Where there's this feeling of, well, I'm not a pastor.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Right? I'm not a missionary, I'm not an elder, I'm just a guy who attends on a Sunday morning. Maybe speak to the encouragement of that person being all in, still being able to be used by God.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Well, I mean, just to know that God is using you, like, you know, should for for someone who has experienced the grace of God, like if you want to honor God, if you want to bless the God who has blessed you, like you want to do what He wants you to do. You know, I mean, I think about like, you know, giving gifts to the people that I love, to my family. Like I want to give them, not something, you know, that Necessarily will bless me what I want. I want to bless them. I want to give them something that will, that they desire, that they want. And if we want to give a gift to God, if we want to bless the heart of God, in essence, like let's do what He is, what He wants us to do. Let's be who He has created us in Christ Jesus to be. And it may not be something that we think that we will enjoy, but the thing is He knows us better than we know ourselves, and we will absolutely find joy. And even doing seemingly menial tasks. I mean, Jesus, as our example, served people. I mean, he washed people's feet. Yeah. And he told the apostles, like, even the apostles who were committed to and devoted themselves to preaching the word and to prayer, he told them, if you remember, if you want to, if you call me teacher and Lord, then you need to do what I'm doing essence, wash people's feet. You need to serve people. So no matter what you're doing, whether it's preaching, whether it's singing a solo in front of thousands of people, or whether it's serving behind the scenes, really what you're doing is the heart behind what you're doing is serving the Lord. You're not doing it for your own glory. You're not doing it for self-promotion. You're doing it for the Lord, to further the gospel, to invest in the kingdom. And when your mindset and your heart is that, like it's a blessing to know that God is blessed with what you're doing and how you're serving. So that's right.

SPEAKER_02 23:23

100%. Yeah. Because yeah, I think it's it's easy to think when you have the status is when you have effectiveness. You know what I mean? Like when you have the position is only when you can be, you know, the the top. And it's like, no, like God uses people like Stephen, who is not that, right? He's like you said, he's not an apostle, but he was faithful and God used him in a profound way that we see.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

Well, yeah, and even considering kind of even a broader picture than his actual task of serving widows, at the end of his testimony, he's martyred. Yeah. So is he significant? Yeah, yeah. No, no, not at all. Like Stephen's testimony is glorious. And from other scriptures we know that that God rewarded him with the crown of life because he was faithful unto death. Like he crossed the finish line. Yeah. Like he did the last lap and he sprinted at the end and did not give up, throwing the towel, cower, back down, concede, compromise in any way. No, he was faithful to the end and was gloriously just a glorious example, not a failure in any way, shape, or form, or in any sense of the word, but a true success because he was obedient and navigated these things in a way that truly honored and worshiped the Lord and in a way that was impactful even to men like, as we see in here, Saul, who later became Paul. And I believe Stephen's testimony definitely was impactful in helping Saul, who later became Paul, become what he became in the furtherance of the gospel.

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Yeah, no, I I think that's that's good. I mean, I think thinking about the fact that we often yeah, associate like success with what is played on the outside, right? Like, oh man, well, this person came to know the Lord. But you say often, right? Success in sharing the gospel is simply sharing the gospel. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

So Peter preached the truth, and thousands repent and believe and are saved. Stephen preaches, and actually more, Stephen's sermon's even longer than Peter's sermon, but no one repents and is saved, and he dies. He's killed, and all he does is enrage those who are listening. Yeah. But yet it's the same truth. That's right. And so was God, you know, overlooking Stephen? Had God forgotten or forsaken Stephen, who was faithful to him? Not. I mean, we see this that that God showed what was revealed to Stephen when was the heavens were opened up and Jesus was standing there looking down, encouraging, comforting Stephen in a way that that blessed Stephen. Stephen did not lose, Stephen gained. Yeah. You know, and I even think about, you know, well, let's talk about Stephen's countenance for a moment before we get there, because we see Stephen's courage. That's the last point. But his countenance, it says that all of the Sanhedrin that were there essentially persecuting him, they had set up false witnesses to lie about him. Right? This is so unjust. Yeah. Like all these men rose up to uh debate with him, but it said they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which Stephen was speaking. Like, so Stephen basically put them all in their place. I love just picturing that. But it said that all those who are on the council, so the 71-member Sanhedrin, in their now they're all hypocrites, they're all corrupt, most of them, but they're standing there surrounding

Being Filled By Ongoing Surrender

SPEAKER_01 26:40

him, he's in the middle. They all gazed at him, and it says they noticed that he had the face of an angel. What's that mean? You know, it means that this, that he standing there before them, was not filled with rage or anger or bitterness or hatred, as I think I probably would be if I was putting myself in that context. No, it meant that his countenance demonstrated or exhibited peace that passes understanding, joy despite the circumstances. His face was glorious. Yeah. You know, and I shared a testimony of a woman that I had encountered who was suffering in a much different way than Stephen. And I've been impacted by those faces before where you just see the light of Christ shining in really pretty much a tangible way. Like, you know, I mean, not to get too mystical, but you know, almost people who are literally glowing, who just drip Jesus Christ. I mean, maybe when they say he had the face of an angel, they didn't know what they were seeing, but what they were seeing was Jesus reflected in and through the posture, the stance, and even the countenance of Jesus. That's inspiring and motivating to me. To when I, you know, face trials and tribulations or am navigating hardship instead of like, you know, letting all that be just clearly evident on my face, like, you know, you know, Lord, help me navigate the situation in a way that honors you and glorifies you, and it impacts the lost and dying world who's looking on, because they can see and say, Man, he really believes what he claims to believe, you know. So I think that's pretty profound.

SPEAKER_02 28:14

Yeah, I I think because that's hard, right? When you when you face trials and you face, I mean, in this case, like literally, like they were coming against him, like speaking negative, defying about him, like they're saying he's being blasphemous. They're literally like be defaming his name, but yet like the fact that he can, in all things, like count it a joy to suffer as though Christ has suffered.

SPEAKER_01 28:36

He had joy, he had peace, and that was reflected on his countenance, and so should it be on the rest of this right, yeah. Yeah, which is often very hard. It absolutely is in these days. I I confess that. Yeah. So hit the last point. Courage. Yep. Like it undeniably courageous, bold. So in the midst of that, you know, the the high priest, then in chapter seven, verse one, tell Stephen, like in response to all the lies that they stirred up people to tell, so they know it's not true, but they said, Hey, you know, what do you have to say for yourself? Yeah. Are these things so? And then Stephen answered, verse two, chapter seven. Stephen replied them, not in defending himself, not in saying, You guys are liars, you know. That's right. He preached a sermon and it's a it's not a feel-good sermon. Yeah, right. It is not a, you know, walk through the park, roses and rainbows and lilies sermon. It is a confrontational sermon where literally he indicts them and really runs through the whole history of Israel in summary and talks about how over and over again, like the people of Israel rejected the Lord and were disobedient to the Lord. And particularly and most profoundly, in rejecting Jesus, you're rejecting the Lord. And he just confronts them boldly, stands his ground. He does not back down, he stands his ground. And that did not soften their hearts at all. Like it says that they literally were furious in response. I think it's verse 54 of chapter 7. It said, When they heard these things, they were enraged and even ground their teeth at him. I mean, think about being angry to the point of grinding your teeth. Yeah, like you're just so filled with rage, uncontrollable rage, and you're just so tense. That was the posture opposite of the face of an angel that these this counsel, these men of God had in response to Stephen simply preaching the truth. Yeah. And then, though he was full of the Holy Spirit, he saw the glory of God, testified of that, and they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and they rushed together at them. They cast him out of the city and they stoned him to death. But in the midst of that, as they were stoning him, he called out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. You know, a similar nod to Jesus on the cross, into your hands, I commit my spirit. He prayed, Jesus did. And then in verse 60, he cried out, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Really a reflection of Jesus' prayer on the cross when he said, Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing. And when he said this, he fell asleep. Yeah. And really, aside from Paul's testifying of having seen Stephen martyred in Acts chapter 22, this is the last we hear of him. Yeah. But he made his mark on the Apostle Paul, and hopefully he'll make his mark on us. And we can, like him, be willing. You know, I I I think about we're not living in a context where there's a lot of persecution to this degree. For sure. There is actually in the world places today where there are Christians who are faced with this type of persecution. But but our hearts should be willing to be faithful even if unto death. Yeah. And even when unto death. You know, it may not necessarily be an angry mob. It may be a diagnosis of cancer, God forbid. But there are people still suffering. That's right. And in those situations, we don't question the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God. We're not to shake our fists at God and and forget everything that we know about his goodness and his grace and his sovereignty and his providence. No, we rest in those realities in the midst of them. And our hope should be to honor the Lord in crossing the finish line, right? To be faithful even when and if unto death, and if necessary, even through suffering.

Face Of An Angel And Bold Courage

SPEAKER_01 32:40

Yeah. No, that's good.

SPEAKER_02 32:41

I mean, I think just as we close and kind of close it out, I mean, I think Stephen acts as an example, like you said, to all of us. Yeah. Right? He only should want to be like we should be following Stephen as he follows Christ, right? And I think about Stephen has two chapters of the Bible, and there's not much, like you said, not much else, but it's a testament to like even little, like little acts of faithfulness, have profound impacts that impact eternity. Yeah. That isn't just isolated where you're at in the moment, but they impact generations and generations to come. And so I think that's what we see with Stephen. And the little pieces, like you think of Epaphoris, right, when Paul writes and says, thank him, and talk, like those little those names that you only see snippets of have so much and so look into them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:27

Well, but the one thing I want to say is Stephen was who he was because he was full of the Holy Spirit. Yeah. And so the same Holy Spirit that filled Stephen, and the same God who gave Stephen wisdom, the same God who gave Stephen faith and enabled Stephen to do what we see him do in being courageous is our God. That's right. You know, the same God who gives us wisdom. And we're promised, like if any of you lacks wisdom, James 1.5, let him ask for wisdom, right? Yeah. And and be filled with the Holy Spirit, Ephesians chapter 5. So we can, like Stephen, be filled. We can be wise. We can be full of grace and power too. We can be clothed with power from on high. You know, I just think so many believers just kind of don't, you know, yield. They don't surrender fully. You know, or we might, you know, I'll be faithful to this point. Or, you know, they are faithful until that point. And then when something happens and the rug gets pulled out from under their feet, their faithfulness goes out the window. And we're called to be faithful at all times, in always. I'm gonna say it, and you know you're gonna make fun of me. Come rain, shine, hell or high water. I always say that, but really, yeah, we're not to make excuses and say, but it's raining or hell or high water. No. No matter what, that's right. Like God is with us always, even to the end of the age. You know, He He gives us, my God shall supply all your need according to His riches and glory. That's right. So that we can be who He has created us to be, do what He has called us to do without excuse and justification, in the day-to-day and even in the profound moments, you know, of suffering and in and through suffering. And and understand and know we got to remember like our hearts are to honor God at all times and in always, not just, you know, when we're on vacation or when, you know, we're on the mountaintop or when it's roses and rainbows, but even in the darkest valleys. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

And I think that's what you see in Stephen, right? Before he's even mentioned to when he's mentioned last, full of the Holy Spirit. Even to the point of death,

Faithful Unto Death And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_02 35:40

right?

SPEAKER_01 35:40

And Stephen, again, was not a failure. His life was a success. Paul talks about to be with Jesus is far better. And so Stephen, when he fell asleep, was awakened to far better. And so he's not missing out, he's not losing out, he's not getting the concession prize or second best. Like he's getting the very best in going to be with a Jesus that was standing there at the right hand of God, looking at him and in glory. And so, yeah, we need to understand and know that too. Like Stephen would say, Man, don't mourn for me, don't feel sorry for me. Yeah like, you know, just I'm doing better. Right. Like I want for you what I have. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

That's right. Yeah. Yeah. And so, man, what a what a joy it is to just see and reflect on Stephen following in the image of Christ, right? Being fulfilled with the Spirit, full of the Spirit, and how we get to then live in light of that truth, of that testimony, and allow it to shape our hearts and minds that we might do the same thing. Yeah. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:41

Cool. Well, thanks for tuning in, guys. We hope you are blessed by this, these two chapters and just being able to talk through it. So we'll see you guys next week.

SPEAKER_01 36:49

Yeah.